Aston Villa sign Barcelona midfielder Philippe Coutinho

Aston Villa are paying less than 50 percent of Coutinho's weekly wage, plus bonuses. Coutinho wants to return to England and play regular football and sees Villa as an ambitious club that is building something special for the future.

The Brazil midfielder knows manager Steven Gerrard well, having spent two and a half years with him at Liverpool, and is said to already know a lot about Villa and their squad.

Coutinho was signed by Barcelona from Liverpool for a club record £146m in January 2018, but he has struggled to hold down a first-team place at the Nou Camp and spent the 2019/20 season on loan at Bayern Munich.

Gerrard on Coutinho a serial winner

Speaking on Thursday ahead of signing Coutinho, manager Steven Gerrard said,

"Sixty-three caps for Brazil, a serial winner, was incredible at Liverpool, so I can understand why he's linked to a lot of football clubs," said Gerrard.

"I can understand why a lot of supporters up and down the country are speaking about him. I don't think you get a nickname as a magician if you're not a special footballer, so he's someone I have an incredible amount of respect for.” he added.

"But I don't want to add to any speculation, because he belongs to Barcelona." Gerald said.

Courtesy Story; Sky Sports